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Tag Archives: ice

Aim for the O2 Move regularly, change offerings often: you’ll crack midwinter’s code

Ice-Fishing-300x200APtravelnews-February 2nd,Provided and shared article by Mitch Eeagan Imagine your home growing darker by the day, to the point you haven’t seen sunlight in over a month. Moreover, your surroundings are growing colder by the day. In fact, it’s so frigid that your muscles have become rigid; to the point it’s all you can do to muster moving a few feet…even to eat. And you’re hungry.

Oxygen is diminishing, too. Some areas are completely void of oxygen, while other pockets have just enough to sustain life. So you migrate to where respiration is still an option. To say life’s registering a zero on the fun-o-meter is an understatement. And with that lowly scenario in place, you now know what it’s like to be a fish living in the Ice Belt during the dead of winter. It’s been a long time since light penetrated the surface and temperatures are at the coldest they will be all year. To boot, the lack of vegetation, rain and wave action have oxygen levels dwindling rapidly.

And it’s this combination of factors that make midwinter a difficult time to catch fish. But if you’re game to put in the time, find those oxygenated zones, rewards are paid in bites and fillets. The safest place to avoid suffocation is sometimes right under the ice. In the bowels of winter, if oxygen levels are critical, crappies, bluegills and perch could be hanging right under your feet. Photo by Bill Lindner

Minnesota Ice-Fishing Guide Brian “Bro” Brosdahl is no stranger to fishing shallow, heavily snow-covered lakes. The Grand Rapids, Minnesota resident moves around a lot. And uses specialized electronics to find panfish other anglers often overlook. “I drill a lot of holes and check every one for any signs of life,” said Bro. “If fish are right under me I’ll see ‘em on the ‘Bird, and, because of the ultra-sensitivity settings on the Humminbird ICE HELIX 5, I can put my jig right in their faces.

“But I’ll also lower my Aqua-Vu Micro DT down every hole, as well; especially if I am not marking anything. Fish might be just inches under the ice during the heart of winter, following the oxygen. The camera is able to spy those fish.” Paying close attention to the underwater viewing system’s screen the moment its camera hits the water, Bro starts spinning the lens right the bottom of the hole. Oftentimes, panfish will be literally inches away, curiously inspecting the corded device. Once fish are revealed, Bro removes the camera, strips off a couple feet of line and lowers his jig—tipped with either spikes, wax worms or mousies. Al’s Goldfish Ice Fishing Wobblers are designed for this job!
“A lot of anglers have no idea those fish are even there,” Bro added. “These suspended fish get totally overlooked this time of year. It’s cool when you can see your jig and watch a fish swim over and gobble it up.”

If there are a lot of fish just under the surface, Bro will operate out of his Frabill flip-over. The darkness not only allows Bro to see the fish better, but also camouflages the fact he’s above by muting his silhouetted movements.

When oxygen levels are low, and fish lethargic, Bro uses tiny jigs with a slow fall. His preferences are Northland’s new Impulse Helium Mayfly, Stonefly and Waxyfly. Custom Jigs & Spins’ Nuclear Ant, Ratso and Shrimpo are another trio of lifelike lures that sink slowly.When Walleye Tournament Pro, Mark Brumbaugh targets pike, walleye and jumbo perch late in the season, he searches out river and creek mouths.

“Anywhere water’s flowing into a lake there will be more dissolved oxygen,” the Brownstown, Ohio, resident said. “And because fish spawn in these same rivers, they’ll be here staging to reproduce, too.” Because there’s more dissolved oxygen near inlets, fish will be spread throughout the water column. Subsequently, Brumbaugh likes larger, heavier jigs that can move up and down quickly. Bladebaits are one of Brumbaugh’s go-to lures in stained water, as they produce a lot of vibration. Reef Runner’s Cicada is one of his favorites. He also employs Custom Jigs & Spins’ B3 Blade Bait and new Rotating Power Minnow (RPM) swimming bait. As avid anglers will tell you, late winter can be one of the toughest times of the year. But maybe that’s because they weren’t looking in the right places.

Some fish might be right under foot; literally, mere inches under the ice. If this is the case, use light lures with a slow flutter and fall. In waterways with inlets, search out the entire water column with lures that sink fast so you can get the lure to fish before they turn tail. Al’s Ice fishing lures work great for this!

When fish are tucked tight to the ice, Bro employs Aqua-Vu optics and fishes in real-time with an AV Micro DT in a Micro-Mobile Pro-Vu Case.

Al’s Goldfish set for ice fishing
Al’s Goldfish 3/16 oz Ice Fishing Jig
Our Price: $4.29

The original Al’s Goldfish, one of Field and Streams greatest 50 lures of all time, set with a J hook on the nose to draw the fish in. The lure works great with trout, salmon and panfish. see all lures at www.alsgoldfish.com 

 

Football and Winter Outdoor Sports Opportunities Safer and More Comfortable With Click-It Hot

 

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The morning is for fishing in our back yard pond and the evening is for wearing our Dolphin hat while we cheer for our Florida team;the Miami Dolphins!
Barb is wearing a shoulder model that also has a neck flap. This item can last more than 2-hours in heat mode and can be activated fully in mere seconds as all the other models are.
Barb is wearing a shoulder model that also has a neck flap. This item can last more than 2-hours in heat mode and can be activated fully in mere seconds as all the other models are.

APtravelnews-November 27th, “Bob and Barb on the Road Again”- The day after T.G. Day, we are getting ready for the football season again. With the latest cold-front kicking in, Barb and I got out our Click-It Hot heating and warming units to pack for our trip to a Miami Dolphins game. Look, if Barb is wearing a shoulder model that also has a neck flap she is going to be comfortable in blowing wind, and evenings dropping temperatures. This item can last more than 2-hours in heat mode and can be activated fully in mere seconds, as all the other models are. If you’re going to be seated on a metal or stark wooden seat this time of year, you’ll want to be warm enough to be comfortable. Nowhere is warmth and comfort more important than in Ice fishing. The season is slowly building as waters have begun to freeze in thousands of lakes and ponds of the north country. Imagine sitting on a seat out on the ice jigging for pike, perch and trout. Often temperatures reach down to double digit below freezing conditions. The near instant 130-degrees temperatures generated by the various sizes of Click-It Hot can be much more than offering a comfort level to the user, it also can and is a life-saver. Just ask anyone who has had an instance of frozen extremities, and skirted, or felt the onset of Hypothermia how valuable a near- instant heat source in their pockets has been, or could be and without a doubt, their reaction would be surprise even that this question was asked. We know that keeping a few Click-It Hot hand warmers inside our glove compartment and stored, on or in our outdoor vehicles, back packs, boats, and a few stored in our sleeping bags can be a whole lot more than a convenience. For direct ordering, or finding out about the many shows you can obtain Click-It Hot products at in your area and to get more information go: www.clickIt Hot.com

NOTE* If you think Click-It Hot is only for warmth, you’d be forgetting that they can also be used cold. The same units can be refrigerated and if soothing cold is needed as in a head-bump or abrasions these units can be the beswt way to keep down the swelling in these areas!

A representation of some of the Click-It Hot products you'll see at the show! These are for medical and sports use!
A representation of some of the Click-It Hot products you’ll see at the various shows and on-line! These are for medical and sports use!

Mid Week Images To Remember

Taken just before Hurricane Andrew struck!
Taken just before Hurricane Andrew struck Biscayne Bay!
This 100-pound grouper was brought up from 200-feet off of Mexico on the boat Catch-22. No its not a Goliath Grouper!
This 100-pound grouper was brought up from 200-feet off of Mexico on the boat Catch-22. No its not a Goliath Grouper!
The way it used to be! Joe Brooks image! From my book: History of Fishing The Florida Keys!
The way it used to be! Joe Brooks image! From my book: History of Fishing The Florida Keys!
NUTS! In the Arctic!
NUTS! In the Arctic!
Great entry way to a B n B!
Great entry way to a B n B!

Pictures of the Week!

Wounded Warrior Project  members in Kodiak Alaska. Fished all week and Federal Express sent 100-pound boxes of fillets home for all of us!
Wounded Warrior Project members in Kodiak Alaska. Fished all week and Federal Express sent 100-pound boxes of fillets home for all of us!
NUTS!
NUTS! Cold and then cold again!
Wounded Warrior group. They received plaques from our Coast Guard hosts for their fishing expertise!
Wounded Warrior group. They received plaques from our Coast Guard hosts for their fishing expertise!

 

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Taken just before Hurricane Andrew struck!
Taken in Key Biscayne before Hurricane Andrew struck!
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Yes, in a wet suit under the drip-edge of giant glacier. Done some dumb stuff. Still here thought!